


comatose cat

by gaizotak



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, One Shot, Post-Canon, Whump, adora is protective, catra gets injured, real creative title, they just really love each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:47:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27770245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaizotak/pseuds/gaizotak
Summary: catra gets injured and is rendered unconscious while adora is away on a mission. their friends do their best to handle the situation before adora can slip into old habits. is this another job for She-Ra?
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Mermista/Sea Hawk (She-Ra), Netossa/Spinnerella (She-Ra), Perfuma/Scorpia (She-Ra)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 229
Collections: She-Ra





	comatose cat

**Author's Note:**

> no cw other than just really intense emotions and fear for a loved ones well being. the fluff gets a bit steamy at the end but it's not explicit, but i made it mature just to be safe. 
> 
> enjoy!

The current Queen of Brightmoon paced a trench in the floor just outside of the infirmary of her kingdom. Techniques to quell her racing heart did little to cool her anxious blood. A gentle but firm hand curled around her clenched bicep and she stopped moving.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay,” Bow consoled and brought his other hand up so he could give his wife a grounding squeeze to her upper arms. Glimmer calmed down, albeit only a bit, but it was enough for her to calm the ringing in her ears and hear his honey voice. 

“Sorry -- It’s just --” she stammered and then turned to a whisper, “I’m not sure what to do.”

Bow brings her in for a hug and runs a hand through her short hair before making her meet his eyes. “I’m right here, every step of the way. We will figure this out. First, let’s wait for Perfuma to come out and go from there, yeah?”

“I’m  _ tired  _ of waiting!” she griped. “We have been out here for an  _ hour! _ ”

Her husband pursed his lips and stroked his spotty beard that he had been starting to grow. After a moment of brainstorming his eyes lit up, “Hey, why don’t you go fetch us some more water and snacks? Everyone has been working pretty hard,” he says as he eyeballs a Mermista fast asleep against an equally slumped Seahawk, “and I think some yummy food and tea would be nice and clear our heads.”

The Queen looked ready to protest so he continued with a raised hand, “I will message you with any updates, okay?”

Glimmer pouted, she knew what Bow was doing. She needed a distraction before she jumped the gun and did something reckless because her emotions got the better of her. When she would get in a slump and didn’t know how to move forward, working through other projects helped clear her mind. Ever since the portal incident, the war, Prime, having her  _ dad _ back, she vowed to be a more upstanding Queen that her people could trust and rely on to not be rash. She’s been doing a pretty great job after reconnecting with her dad and mending her relationships… and a few visits to Perfuma. But Bow has been a major rock in keeping both her feet planted before she takes off in a nose dive before thinking things through. 

Before she poofed away, she gave him a grateful kiss with a gentle swipe of her thumb to his cheek and headed for the kitchen to scrounge up some snacks and tea. She sought out comforting foods like rolls and sliced fruit. Searching through the fridge she found some cheeses and picked three she thought would go well with the jam and crackers she selected. Many kitchen staff were eyeing her carefully but did not interrupt her other than a simple hello’s. 

Water began to boil and screech as it announced its completion and was poured into a teapot that she then loaded with a couple herbal bags to simmer and gathered some plates, silverware, and cups. With the large tray in her grip, she teleported back to see a side table pulled to the center of the hall for her friends to build their plates from. 

Glimmer felt better and more collected after she had a few bites of the assorted food and a cup of tea. She curled into Bow’s side and waited.

It was about fifteen minutes later when the door to the infirmary finally opened and Perfuma walked out with tired eyes. Everyone shot out of their seats with pleading eyes and clasped hands. Perfuma gave them a smile but it wavered.

“Perfuma?” Glimmer begged.

“Catra will be fine.” 

Everyone released a breath of tension but there was still a feeling of dread.

“But?”

Perfuma looked to the young Queen, “Her vitals are stable and injury is minor--”

“Catra has been rendered into an unconscious state, a coma, from the crumbled debris and we have no idea when she will wake up!” Entrapta battered in as she swung the door open with horrifically placed enthusiasm. 

A strained grin crossed the flower girl's face as she masked her irritation, “A coma. Yes--”

“Aren’t coma’s fascinating? I have yet to work on a coma patient and I cannot  _ wait  _ to study her brain waves, especially that of a magicats-- OOOOOH I must compare my data to a human’s comatose state and--”

“Entrapta!” Mermista barked from clenched teeth beside Seahawk where she hugged herself.

“My apologies, that was inconsiderate.”

“Oh-Kay!” Glimmer started impatiently.

“Keep your voices down!” Bow chided in a hushed whisper.

“Bow, she’s, like, in a fucking coma. If anything, we should be  _ trying  _ to wake her up,” Mermista drawled.

Seahawk perked up. “My dearest is right! Perhaps one of my shanties could wake her up!” He began to sing when the Queen spoke up.

“Okay, not a bad idea, because she hates your shanties, but can we  _ please _ get back to her current state? Can we see her?” Perfuma nodded and led them to where Catra seemingly slept peacefully.

A bandage was wrapped around her head with a small ice pack held in place from the gauze. There were several runes glowing above her chest to check her vitals and keep her hydrated and nourished while she remained unconscious. Her fur was a bit dirty in some areas and minor scrapes lined her arms and face. Otherwise, she seemed alright. 

Perfuma stood by Catra’s head as the others gathered around her. “Thankfully, the housing that collapsed was made of very old stone that had softened over the years, so the impact was not as bad as it could have been. Her tail got a bit crimped from some of the fallen rocks but should heal quickly. Considering her lack of severe injuries and from what you described, Mermista, I think she heard the building beginning to crumble and got everyone out before anything too… fatal could have happened.”

“And the child?” Seahawk asked as he squeezed his lover's shoulder.

A genuine smile finally reached Perfuma’s eyes and looked down at the feline, “The child is fine, all thanks to Catra. She took most of the blow and probably saved the child’s life. He came out with minor scrapes and was sent home not long after you all left. Although he did request that we give Catra this letter when she wakes up.”

Bow cooed hesitantly, afraid that Catra was somehow listening in on their conversation and would bolt out of bed to growl at him. “Awwwww, Catraaaaaa!”

“Shout out to cat-like reflexes,” Mermista commented, obviously relieved at the news. 

“A noble effort indeed! Our Catra is always full of surprises!” Seahawk said. 

Entrapta spat out some data that made everyone in the room freeze, “Yes, it seems Catra and Adora attract up to 74% more danger than the average person.”

“Adora…” Glimmer groaned loudly and threw her head back. “She won’t be back for another three days from her mission with Spinnerella and Netossa.”

“Should we tell her?” Bow asked.

“I mean, it’s her wife. She’s going to be freaked out and worried whether we tell her now or later. Might as well rip the band aid off,” the sea princess suggested.

A defeated sigh left Glimmer’s lips, “Yeah, but Adora has been looking forward to this trip for a while now. Plus, if we tell her, we know she will fly her ass over here as fast as possible and she's going to be stressed out the whole time because there is nothing she can do but wait. And Adora is  _ terrible  _ when she can’t help Catra.”

“She has a right to know, though. Adora will be even more mad if we kept this from her,” Bow said and Glimmer dragged a hand down her face. 

And with that, they called up Adora.

Well… Bow called Adora. Alone. And somewhere quiet. With his thumb hovering over the volume button.

The trackerpad rang a few moments before it finally opened up to a beaming She-Ra.

“Hey, Bow!”

“Hey, Adora…” he winced at how weak his greeting was and tried to cover it up. “How’s it going over there? Lots of mountains I’m assuming?” Mountainous landscape bounced in the background of the screen as Adora huffed a log over her gold plated shoulder. Thankfully, she didn’t notice her friend's obvious attempt at nonchalance. 

“Oh, it is awesome over here! I know I shouldn’t say that since this place kinda got, ya know,  _ flooded,  _ but the landscape is amazing!” The log vanished from her shoulder as she set it down with another pile off screen. “The air is super fresh and there are so many birds! Anyway, what’s going on at Brightmoon?” 

Bow took a deep breath,  _ just rip the band aid off. _ “Nothing too crazy. But we thought you should know that Catra is injured. But she’s fine!” He tacked on when She-Ra’s brows furrowed in concern.

“What happened?” She asked in a stern tone.

There was no getting out of this but Bow had to try and convince Adora to not rush back or it would only add more stress to the current situation. “Adora, please listen to me when I say that you don’t need to abandon your work and come home. We got Catra set up and sleeping in your bedroom right now. She--she got a bump to the head in Salineas, but she’s fine! Perfuma has been taking good care of her, so is Glimmy and Merms and Hawk. She’s in the best of hands and we have it under control.”

She-Ra’s blue eyes glowed through the screen, making Bow swallow. “Bow...why isn’t Glimmer on the phone with you?”

When did Adora get so observant? “She is looking after Catra.”

“She’s sleeping, why is she ‘looking after Catra’ if she’s sleeping?”

“Incase she needs something!” He explained lamely as sweat crowded his temples. Her blue eyes squinted from suspicious to worry and Bow had to salvage this. “Look, finish your work for the day and then come back here if you want to!” Adora was much more controlled when given specific instructions rather than letting her mind spin and become impulsive, as Catra had told them one day a few years ago. Getting to know each other so well was a double edged sword.

The warrior whined into a huffy groan. “Fine. I’m going to talk with Spinny and Tossa about this. Keep me updated?”

“Of course, let me know what you end up doing.”

  
  


Bow crept through the door to see Glimmer and Perfuma babbling with Entrapta who was holding some very creepy looking tools.

“This could work!”

“Has this even been tested before?!”

“Not unless I can medically induce someone else into a coma or vegetative state, then, no. It has not been tested as of yet.”

“Then, no! You could hurt her! Or make this worse!”

“There is a 38% chance this will wake her up.”

“Entrapta, please…”

“You need to test your experiments on someone else!”

“That’s no better than what she was originally planning, Glimmer.”

“On  _ something  _ else! Stay away from her. I’m getting my dad.”

Glimmer poofed away and Bow fully stepped into the room. A few moments later and Glimmer appeared with Micah.

“Hey there, kiddos! Oh, is she alright?” Micah pointed to Catra.

Tears stung at Glimmer’s eyes, “We don’t know. She’s in a coma. Can you wake her up? Is there a spell for this?”

Micah walked up to the runes floating above the girls furry chest and examined the data.

“Hmmmm. She seems in perfect health, her head is healing quickly. There are spells for bringing someone out of sleep, but for comas? That, I do not think so.”

“Could She-Ra fix this?” Entrapta pondered.

Everyone in the room winced and Bow bounced in, “The last thing we need is Adora coming over here and trying to fix this. She’s come so far with her whole hero complex thing. It took me a bit of convincing just to get her to stay away long enough to finish her work for the day.”

“I agree with Bow,” Perfuma said, “She will probably try when she gets here anyway, but we need to see what else is a possible solution before that.”

Leaning over the bed and right into a sleeping cat’s face, Glimmer growled, “Wake up.” A few moments, “Ugh! We need to figure this out before she gets here.”

“I do not understand why we are all against a simple solution to this problem that could potentially work,” Entrapta wonders and went to poke Catra with her hair but Perfuma gently stopped her.

“Because, Adora has an innate need to fix things. We have come very far in getting her past those feelings and fears and she now has come to trust and rely on her friends more.” Perfuma explained. “We owe this to her as much as ourselves in doing things without She-Ra.” The scientist nodded her understanding but still seemed pouty about the situation.

One of the runes for Catra’s heart monitor wavered and her breathing became shallow. They shifted into high alert as Perfuma ripped back the sheets while Glimmer looked her over for what was wrong. They rolled her onto her side to check under her shirt and Perfuma gasped.

“What? What is it?” Glimmer teleported to the other side of the bed.

“Internal bleeding! How did we miss this…” Perfuma whined. 

“Fucking interns,” Glimmer fumed. “I’ll be having a word with them. Don’t blame yourself Perfuma. I know you can fix this, I’m going to speak with those kids and the superior in charge of their training.”

After about half an hour, Perfuma, and much more qualified medics, looked over Catra and added another healing spell to the injury when they realized that surgery wasn’t necessary. The pain would be uncomfortable, but the patient was sleeping right through it, thankfully. The group relaxed and tried to go on with their days. 

  
  
  
  


Micah and Glimmer headed to Mystacor to do some research on possible spells that could fix this while Perfuma studied up on possible herbs that could work. Back in her lab, Entrapta fiddled with frightening experiments that she thinks could show promise as Bow took watch after Catra. If she were to wake, they wanted someone to be with her, especially if Adora barges in unannounced. He messaged his dads to see if they knew anything about comas and vegetative states to see if they had something useful in their extensive library. 

Dinner approached and Bow’s trackerpad ringed with Adora’s name on the screen. He swiped it open.

“Hey, Bow, how is everything?”

“All good! She’s still sleeping.”

“Can I see?” Bow hesitates. He was afraid to reveal the bandages and runes on Catra and worry Adora. It was hard to resist such a concerned face, so she gave in and did a brief flick to the sleeping form before him.

“See! All happy and snuggly!”

“Come on! I hardly saw anything-- wait. Are you hiding something? You’re hiding something.”

“Huh? Why would I be hiding something?” He rambled and avoided eye contact. Some shouting and a loud sound of snapping lumber protruded through the speaker and Adora spun around.

“Shoot! Uh, um. Something just--”

“It’s okay, Adora. We got her, we promise. Take care of things there and call me back.” They signed off once more and Bow slid down his chair and onto the floor. Another hour and food was brought into the room for him, Glimmer, and Micah to eat together. It was weird eating in Catra and Adora’s room when they couldn’t eat with them. But Bow hoped their presence was making the two girls feel more safe, even if one was unconscious and another across the country at the moment. 

It turns out, Glimmer and Micah didn’t find much, and the two spells they did try weren’t effective. Perfuma attempted rubbing some concoction of essential oils under Catra’s nose in hope of making her stir, but to no avail. Entrapta mentioned something about needles and was shut down very quickly. Morning came around when Adora finally called back.

She looked exhausted and was not in her magical form either, probably from overworking herself. Apparently, some of the wood the villagers used was rotted from termites most of it had to be schucked out and burned and then replaced. So, Adora spent much of her time locating healthier trees and chopped for hours until there was enough to make up for what was lost.

Netossa and Spinerella barged into the screen on either side of Adora, “Yeah, she needs to rest.”

“I do not--”

“Hush!” Netossa demanded without breaking eye contact with Glimmer. “As I was saying, Adora will stay here a bit longer to rest and eat.” Adora grumbled about work and Catra.

Spinnerella ran a soothing hand up and down the young woman’s back, “It’s okay sweetheart. This way you will be rested for when you see Catra. Plus, there will be a buffet later as a thank you for your hard work last night.”

Adora’s stomach grumbled in response which made everyone chuckle.

“Adora, go eat and sleep. Or, sleep and eat. I don’t care which you do first. Just do both of those things and  _ then  _ I will come get you and bring you to your damsel in distress.”

“Glimmer!” Adora admonished, “Don’t let Catra hear you say that!”

The women laughed. “She’s comatose, she can’t hear a damn thing,” the Queen said with a dismissive wave.

“COMATOSE?!” Adora shrieked.

Glimmer’s eyes widened when she realized what she just said, “Uh, did I say comatose? No, no I said.. Come.. over forrrrr some toast? Come over for some toast! Yeah! When this is all over and she’s rested we will all have some toast, haha! Okay, bye!” And hung up on a sputtering Adora, groaning Netossa, and pained Spinerella who looked ready to throttle her queen.

Glimmer turned to see Bow with his head in his hands, “Oh no.”

  
  
  
  
  


No one is sure how the two did it, but Spinnerella and Netossa got Adora to stay through the day and into the following afternoon when a stoic Adora called again.

“I am rested, I have eaten  _ six  _ times, and even took a bath.” Netossa and Spinerella both nodded in the background. “Now. I demand to see my wife.” 

“Who gave you the power to order the queen around?”

“Glimmer, pleeeeeease,” Adora whined.

“Pft, okay, fine. I’ll be there in a flash!” She cut off the phone just as Adora snorted a laugh at her pun. 

Sparkles shimmered a second time to reveal Glimmer with Adora. Before Adora could move, two large arms wrapped her in a massive hug.

“Surprise hug! Gosh, it is so good to see you, Adora!” Scorpia said. 

Once her feet were back on the ground and got air back into her lungs, she said, “Very sneaky, and it’s good to see you too! How’re the kids?” Adora asked, distracted as she maneuvered her way to her bedroom door just down the hall.

Glimmer appeared in front of her to block her path while Scorpia rambled about her three kids she and Perfuma had a couple years back.

“They’re birthdays are coming up soon! Adora, they grow up so fast, Flora can already snip through cardboard! Ah! So proud of her, you guys should come over for the party! But if you can’t, that’s alright, I know how busy you two are. Besides--”

“We would love to see you guys and the kids, Scorpia,” Adora smiled and cut the larger women off so she could properly focus on the pink haired one before her. “What are you doing?”

Taking a step closer, Glimmer stares into gray eyes, “Just seeing how much sleep you  _ actually  _ got these last couple days.”

“And…?” Glimmer stepped aside and let the blonde continue to her room. 

Adora presses open the door to her shared room like she has thousands of times since defecting the Horde. She typically walks into this room with a sense of peace, joy, and pleasure, but when she steps past the threshold now she only feels things she associates with a battlefield. 

Catra looks calm. Just as if she was taking any other normal bedtime sleep. But she’s still. way too still. Her chest is moving but her tail and ears don’t so much as budge at the little bustles of the noise in their bedroom. It’s like stepping into the infirmary rather than a place she considers home. 

Multicolored runes glow above her chest and rise with her breathing. There isn’t an ice pack wrapped up in the gauze around her head anymore since the swelling went down thanks to some paste from Perfuma. 

As a human, Adora’s nose is fickle when it comes to detecting scents, but their room doesn’t smell like theirs anymore. She cannot find that comforting cologne that Catra would sometimes throw on for Adora, and  _ only  _ Adora, when they would go to events so Adora could still smell her when they get separated in the crowd. Now, Adora has yet to smell it and it makes her feel lost. 

As she finally approaches the side of the bed her wife of 2 years is resting on, her mind switches. The blonde does not feel safe and Catra is vulnerable so she goes through old training she may never forget. She puts her hand to the magicat’s forehead to check her temperature, checks her pulse, her lymph nodes for infection, and how well the various wounds are healing along those furry arms. In the back of her mind she can hear the crowd of the room telling her the runes are taking care of things and giving her a prognosis of what happened but she doesn’t care. 

Blinding light fills the room as She-Ra emerges and sits beside the feline on the bed. 

“Adora…” she hears someone chide but she won’t listen, not when there is a chance this could work.  _ Should work,  _ she tells herself as she leans her plated head down to Catra’s downy one and strokes her fuzzy cheek with her thumb. 

“Hey, Catra, it’s time to wake up,” she whispers as the healing wisps of First One’s magic ghosts over the injured woman beneath her. 

After a moment she sits back and waits. All the wounds are gone but she has yet to stir or hardly even change her breathing. Still in She-Ra’s form, Adora pats her cheek a couple times in hopes of rousing her. “Babe, wake up for me?”

Nothing. Adora grunts and tries forcing more magic out to coax her out of sleep, but it doesn't work.

“Adora.” 

She turns to acknowledge her friends for the first time since entering the room. Glimmer is much closer to her side than she remembered and where’s a look of deep concern.

“Sorry,” she says sheepishly and phases back to her usual self. “Got a little carried away there.”

With her typical air of calm, Perfuma sidles up next to her on the bed and places a hand on her arm to ground her. “We understand, you want to make sure she’s okay. But you have to trust that we have done everything we can think of so far to help.”

Adora nods and looks to Catra before shifting to stare at the marble floor. “She-Ra didn’t work.” Hearing Adora target She-Ra, rather than herself, was a huge step and did not go unnoticed by the other people in the room. Catra would be proud. 

“We don’t know that yet,” Bow adds in. “Her physical wounds healed, but now it’s possible her body is recovering from the healing. Give her some more time, I’m sure she will come around!”

With false belief she replies, “Yeah, you’re right.”

They discussed the options they have tried and how Adora’s little mission went. Adora held onto Catra’s limp hand the whole time.

Eventually, dinner time came and they made their way to the dining hall, but Adora stopped.

“Hey, you guys go on ahead, I’m going to change into some fresh clothes.”

“Sure thing! Get comfortable and we will see you down there!” Bow said as they all exited the room.

Adora looked to Catra and flicked her ear to see if the girl was faking. She used to do that a lot as a kid to get out of various things in the Horde and when she first moved into Brightmoon to piss Glimmer off. Normally, she would get a miffed crinkle of a nose, a sly smile, or a tail twitch. Now, still nothing. Adora bit down on the rising anxiety that came with her inability to solve an issue and decided to busy herself with fluffing the pillows and loosening the sheets around the cat girl's body to make her more comfortable. She left a lingering kiss on both her wife’s cheeks and headed to the bathroom to freshen up and change into less sweaty clothes. 

On her way out, she left a trackerpad by the night stand and propped it so she could keep an eye on Catra while she was gone. She wanted to be right by her side when she woke up. At the door, she still hesitated but steeled herself to see her friends.

At dinner, Seahawk and Mermista ate with them one last time before they headed back to their kingdom. Seahawk gave a very dramatic reenactment of Catra saving the child as the building fell around her. Adora always knew Catra had a soft spot for kids, whether she liked to show that side of herself or not. Finally learning to be vulnerable and let her walls down, everyone got a rare chance to see her chasing and playing with kids around the kingdom or orphans in the towns they visited. She always kept her claws sheathed and hissing at bay whenever she let them win every fake battle. It brought bittersweet tears to Adora’s eyes thinking about it.

Catra risked her life to go back for a child out of more than just instinct. Catra  _ cared _ .  _.  _ They were finally safe to be themselves without repercussions. Adora was so proud of her wife’s progress, but now she doesn’t know when she will wake up. If she wakes up… Adora threw an axe into that way of thinking and tried to finish the food on her plate before her friends started to beg her to. 

“Best Friend Squad sleepover?” Bow suggested as they rose from their seats at the table.

“Yes, please.” 

After a year of living in brightmoon, both Catra and Adora agreed on getting a much bigger bed. Some reasoning for that decision is obvious but it also meant they could have a sleepover in their room with all four of them on the bed instead of Glimmer and Bow on the floor.

  
  


Before they all crawled into bed, Adora took the time to move and bend Catra’s limbs so her body wouldn’t be so stiff and wiped her face with a cool cloth. Adora lifted the covers to slip into bed but paused.

Glimmer saw her hesitation and asked, “Adora? You okay?”

The blonde slowly extracted herself from the bed and stood to face her friends. “...I… what if I sleep fight again, or something? I don’t want to h-hurt her by knocking her off the bed and all. She can’t defend herself like...this.” She gestured limply to the sleeping form.

Bow saw Adora close in on herself at the admission and got up to hug to which his wife quickly followed. The three were now swaddled in a group hug when Bow finally spoke, “You could never hurt Catra, though, we do know how you get in your sleep. But you can’t blame yourself for that, alright?” Adora gave a weak nod and hugged them closer.

After a few more moments the separated and Glimmer suggested something. “How about you sleep between me and Bow? That way if you get restless I can just teleport you off the bed!”

Confidence came back to Adora’s voice, “Yeah, that could work. Let's do it.”

On the bed, they slept shoulder to shoulder: Catra, Glimmer, Adora and then Bow on the far right. Adora settled in between her two best friends as they all clung on to each other. Willing herself to stay awake a while longer, Adora watched Catra over Glimmer’s shoulder until sleep finally took her.

  
  
  


The next day was no different. Not a single change in Catra’s state. Adora willed herself to stay patient and slept in a large, round chair beside Catra that following night. At some point that following day, Adora changed the bed sheets while she placed Catra on one of the couches and then got her into some new clothes as well. Some healers walked in shortly thereafter to reinforce the runes that were keeping Catra stable without food and water.

Adora brushed her lover’s hair and ran some dry shampoo into her fur to keep it from matting. She wanted to kiss her sleeping paramour, she wanted to pet her and cuddle her but it felt wrong with Catra’s inability to consent. Useless, she felt useless and powerless with each passing day. After three days of this daily routine, Adora let on to Glimmer about how she was feeling and called Perfuma over for more than simple medical updates on Catra.

  
  
  


“Oh, Adora,” Perfuma comforted, “you are doing so much for her. I’m sure she is grateful; she wouldn’t want anyone else to be looking after her but you. And, if I may add something…”

“Hm?” Adora tilted her head to the side from where the two friends chatted on the balcony that afternoon. “Perfuma, I will take whatever I can get right now.”

“Yes, and that’s why I hesitate to say it, but… I think you should know.” Adora gave her an earnest look to speak her mind. So, she did. “I come here everyday to make sure you are both okay, and everyday I feel Catra’s aura… increase.”

“Increase?” she asked with a spark of hope she was afraid to blow into a flame.

“Yes, I don’t wish to establish false possibilities, but I really do believe you are doing more for her than you realize, Adora.” The wavy blonde smiled and put her hand over Adora’s with a little squeeze. “You are exactly where you need to be and doing exactly what needs to be done. I understand you two are very skeptical of my insight, but I say this to comfort and assure you, because the positive energy of your room is palpable.  _ You  _ are doing that, Adora.”

Perfuma left after that and Adora sat cross legged on her bed and watched Catra. She wasn’t sure how much faith she should put into Perfuma’s… assumptions? Premonitions? Neither one held much water when it came to getting true results like Entrapta could dish out.

Wait, Entrapta. Adora set up the new monitor system Bow got her that people called a “baby monitor” or something like that, and took off for Darla where Entrapta would be doing new modifications on the ship.

Bouncing up the incline, Adora stumbled her way into the ship to find the scientist. “Entrapta! Entrapta, where are you? I need to ask something about Catra!”

“Adora?”

“Yes! Hey, where are you, do you have a moment?” Adora was too excited with nerves to cover her urgent tone and knew the best way to get the princesses attention. “It’s for science!”

Several loud thuds and echoing rolls of laughter coursed through the ship’s ventilation system when the person Adora was searching for finally plopped out of a high vent and caught herself in her hair before she hit the ground. Entrapta sped on her tendrils and got right into Adora’s face.

“For science, you say?” 

“What can you tell me about coma’s?” Entrapta’s eyes lit up and donned a face splitting grin of pure joy.

“I haven’t stopped studying the science and history of comatose patients since Glimmer got Catra in the infirmary!” The purple haired girl then pulled her hair to the side to show her ears plugged with earphones, “I’ve listened to 8 textbooks in both the psychological and medical field in the realm of science and magic and 52 podcasts on interviewing people’s experiences when they were unconscious for extended periods of time!”

Adora grabbed her friends shoulders and beamed with raw, unfiltered hope, “Tell me  _ everything _ .”

  
  
  
  


Entrapta rambled as she followed Adora back to her bedroom; she hated being away from Catra for longer than necessary. She also was not too keen on Entrapta’s unique ability to speak 10 words per second but she took in every detail and percentage that flooded her ears. When they got back to her room, she didn’t stop Entrapta’s flow as she recited every ounce of knowledge in her big beautiful brain. Adora pulled out a notebook and wrote down everything as quickly as she heard it. There was no time to erase mistakes, sharpen her pencil--she snatched a new random writing utensil everytime one broke or emptied of ink--or bother to correct her grammar like she normally would. Now was not a time for perfection, now was a time for progression. 

_ Fuck ‘sickness and in health’,  _ Adora thought once Entrapta finished teaching Adora 6 classes worth of information and answered any of her questions.  _ I’m giving my wife the best damn life no matter what and she’s going to be awake for it.  _

On their bed, Adora read through her notes while she idly brushed through Catra’s hair. As she read, she made a list of things to try that Entrapta suggested. Adora was tired of waiting for her to wake up--this had gone on longer than she deemed necessary since She-Ra healed her wounds.

First, she started rubbing Catra’s feet, legs, hands, neck. Literally any muscle of her lover that she could circulate blood through her body. Next, she wafted every herb she could find in the kitchen beneath her sensitive nose. When those two things failed, she tried splashing ice cold water on her face but still received no response. 

Adora took deeper and deeper breaths with every failed attempt. Nearly a dozen techniques were crossed off her list and there were two left. Panic began to settle in but she pressed forward with the strength of a war front. These last couple ideas were saved for last because of what she needed to do.

In her right hand was a sewing needle and glared at it with great disgust. She needed to poke Catra in areas with the highest cluster of nerve endings. Adora poked herself to see which areas made her jolt the most and looked to her wife. Steeling herself with a determined breath, she lifted Catra’s lifeless right arm up and readied the needle. She did it before she could stop herself and pricked right into Catra’s tricep, near her armpit, as swiftly as she could. Nothing.

The last option was… basically torture and Adora crossed it out and threw the note pad across the room. She couldn’t do it, she refused to hurt Catra that way. Entrapta said there was a possibility Catra was aware of everything but her body was incapable of response to any stimuli. So, Adora decided to be selfish.

Adora crawled into bed with a weight of defeat crushing her soul. All she wanted was comfort and a sense of control again with her life. Catra was the only thing in the universe she ever wanted to give control up to, and right now she was bare and exposed.

Pulling the covers over them and shutting the lights off, she swaddles the love of her life. She throws her leg and arm across the magicat’s body and snuggles her nose into her love’s pulse point to feel it beat against her lips.

“Hey, Catra…” she murmured into that furry neck. “I don’t know if you can hear me but, I love you, and I miss you so, so, so much.” Her voice cracks but she doesn’t stop. “I’m sorry you had to listen to 5 and a half hours of Entrapta chatter but I was desperate, and she’s super smart. Yet, you’re still sleeping…. It’s not fair. You save a kid’s life and the world puts yours to a halt. Not even She-Ra, Mystacor or Bow’s dads could fix this… none of it has worked.”

She tightened her grip and mindlessly scratched at Catra’s favorite spot behind her ear. “I will try again tomorrow. I won’t give up on you, ever. I promise.” Adora brought her head up to pepper kisses along the felines face and ended it with a gentle one to her dry lips. 

  
  
  


That night, Adora dreamed of a world without Catra.

  
  


She startled from her nightmare and latched onto the first thing she could find and buried her face in it. A soul mending smell filled her nostrils as she took steadying breaths. She opened her eyes to Catra. The girl was still trapped in sleep and Adora felt she still hadn’t woken from her nightmare yet. Her nightmare coated her in a fight's worth of sweat but she was too heavy with desperation and sleep to budge. But, Catra was here, alive and, most importantly, _real._ She ran her hands through the thicker tuft of fur on Catra’s sternum until she fell back asleep. 

  
  
  


Adora woke again to Glimmer peeling back the curtains to swathe the room in late morning light.

“Morning, sleepyhead, you missed breakfast!”

Adora groaned as her senses came back to her and realized she was still cuddling Catra. Everything hit her at once and she started to cry out of pure exhaustion and demolition this last week has put her through. Pent up tears erupted like hot magma down her cheeks and soaked into tan fur. Each hiccup and gasp for breath between sobs rattled the whole bed.

“Adora?”

She couldn’t stop. A hand rubbed her back and she turned to see Glimmer look at her with so much sorrow and she hated it. Adora threw her head back into the safety of Catra’s neck.

“Wake up. Please. I--I can’t lo--lose you again, baby. Wake up, wake up, wake up,” she whispered harshly, over and over like a mantra. Her throat started to feel thick like wet concrete.

“Adora…” Glimmer chimed in after a while, but Adora gave no reaction that she heard her.

Glimmer tried again and said something along the lines of getting Bow or something, she wasn’t sure. Adora lost track of time and her body felt sore, her mind was mangled and in freefall. At some point the door opened again and several figures came in and sat on the bed. Hands and voices tried to bring her back to reality but it didn’t do much. They were being patient as her crying subsided and she ran out of tears to shed. 

“Adora?”

She hugged Catra closer and whispered ‘i love you’s and ‘I miss you’s until a sudden onset of safety relaxed her tense muscles. 

“Adora!” Her eyes flew open but she was too tired and wrecked to move.

“What?” was all she could manage and turned to look into her friends eyes to see them crying… and smiling?

That’s when it hit her. That’s when she felt it. The best, most soothing sound in the cosmos. A purr.

It was faint, but it was undeniably there and  _ real.  _

She kept her body pressed into Catra as she leaned over to look at her face to gage an sense of wakefulness. “Catra?” The purr stuttered for a moment but kept going, this time a little stronger.

Strength came back to Adora’s muscles and her mind felt clearer. Everyone gasped at the sound from the feline; Adora wasn’t hearing things. She leaned further over her to hold Catra’s face and looked for any sign of lucidity.

  
  


“Catra? Babe, can you hear me?” Adora’s heart rate and breathing spiked in anticipation and the purr increased in volume.

“Purring is good, right? She’s awake?” Glimmer asked hesitantly.

“Is she…?” Bow started. “When does she usually purr?”

Adora kept her eyes on her girl, “It can be--be involuntary or, uh, can be used to self soothe when sh-she’s stressed or sick or happy. Um,” she became a bit bashful at this but said it nonetheless, “uh, sometimes she will purr for  _ me  _ to make me feel better and stuff.”

“Well… you were just hardcore crying,” Mermista pointed out.

Scorpia sounded unsure and said, “So, Adora needs to keep crying and being sad to wake Catra up? That can’t be healthy.”

Perfuma stepped forward and knelt beside the two women, “Adora, if my memory is right, you and Catra find pressure comforting? Perhaps, you can lay back and bring her to your chest?” Adora flushed at the question but was willing to try anything at this point.

Once in position, Catra’s purr only intensified as Adora wrapped her up in her arms and spoke softly into her ears. 

“Get out here, you brat,” she said through some fresh tears, “This cat nap has gone on long enough.”

After several more moments, the purring died down and Adora panicked. “Catra? Catra! Don’t even think about it!” She shook the girl in her arms a bit and kept saying her name.

“...stooooop…”

Adora froze and held her breath, “Catra?”

“So louuuuuuud….” the dry voice wheezed.

“Catra!” She spun the girl in her arms and cupped her face to finally,  _ finally,  _ see those gorgeous eyes flutter open. Catra weakly brought her hands to cover her eyes when the light peeked through and Glimmer immediately vanished to close the blinds while Scorpia scrambled to dim the lights.

“Stop yelling, ugh…” Catra coughed from her unused voice. Everyone floudered for a cup of water.

“Where’s a cup?!”

“On the table!”

“Ew, no, it’s super dirty.”

“Mermista, get some water!”

“I’ll get snacks and herbal tea!”

“Gross, not tap water!”

A hiss from Catra quited the room, “Stop. Fucking. Shouting.”

Everyone worked in silence and got Catra several glasses of water. When she downed the last cup she slumped back into Adora’s arms with a happy purr.

“You’re here, you’re here. I was so worried about you,” Adora said as she buried her face into that messy head of hair she loved so much.

A soft snort, “Sounds like you like me or something.”

Adora couldn’t help but laugh and the whole room joined in. Glimmer teleported to get the healer’s to check over Catra with Adora’s arm tightly coiled around her like a shield, and Catra’s tail snaked around her lover’s ankle. If Catra had the strength she would be swiping at these healers to leave her alone, but they eventually deemed her healthy and went over how to go about her recovery. Everyone stayed in the room and caught Catra up to speed while they ate and Seahawk acted out Catra’s heroic deeds once again.

“Everything gets pretty fuzzy once I heard the cracking in the walls. But, the kids alright?”

“Sure is!” Seahawk answered.

“He will  _ not  _ shut up about you in Salineas,” Mermista drawled as she produced the letter he wrote for her. Catra took it gingerly and snuggled in closer to Adora as she clawed it open to reveal--

Catra exploded with high pitched laughter, “What the hell?!”

“He--” Adora snatched the paper and looked at it more closely, “He drew you? As She-Ra?!”

Glimmer appeared and snagged the paper for everyone else to examine the colorful drawing.

“Damn this kid is talented.”

“Catra, you’re even more buff than She-Ra!”

“Is not!”

“I’m a fucking badass, baby.”

“Geez, don’t let it go to your head.”

“You have to frame this.”

“Oooooh! Let me get a frame!”

“Awwwww, this is so precious.”

“Don’t get tears on it, Bow!”

Catra scoffed, “Kinda sucks that She-Ra stole my own fucking spotlight, but…”

Adora craned her head to look at her wife, “Catra…? Do you like the idea of being a princess?”

“NO!” Weak hands shoved Adora’s face away that sent them in a pathetic wrestling match that only got as intense as two exhausted adults could manage between gasping laughter. 

  
  


With the picture hung and the aftermath of exhaustion from extreme emotions taking its toll, Catra and Adora finally found themselves alone in bed, together. Part of Catra’s recovery required her to take things very slow and rest for a little while longer as her brain caught up with consciousness and sense time. They basked in one another’s presence for a long time as they tangled their limbs like vines and kissed until their faces were bruised.

Adora cupped and stroked Catra’s cheek and asked, “What woke you up? Because I know that when you told the healers you ‘just did’, you were bullshiting.”

“Can’t fool you, can I? Big muscles  _ and _ big brains, it seems.”

“Hey, I’m the total package,” she said with a kiss. “Still waiting on that answer...”

“Ugh, fine, fine.” She rolled onto her back as Adora curled into her side and rested her head on her collarbone. “It’s the cheesiest shit and you absolutely  _ will not _ tell  _ anyone. _ ” She hissed with a chuckle that betrayed her seriousness. Adora mimicked zipping her lips shut anyway and waited for Catra to continue. “Dork…. So, I wasn’t conscious at all, that part is true. I… I don’t know what happened but something was, like, poking me in the brain. It was like coming out of a deep sleep but I couldn’t open my eyes, or move, or--or anything really. I just--something felt wrong. And then I felt you? I can’t explain it. But you felt...bad. And my first train of thought was to comfort you and, yeah. I was purring before I even realized it, next thing I know, you’re yelling my ears and shaking me like a dirty towel.”

Catra chuckled to wash away the corniness of the statement but it died when Adora’s misty eyes looked into hers and brought their lips together again. “I was so scared, I couldn’t lose you. We tried everything. Not even Entrapta’s ideas worked! Not even She-Ra could save you. And I--I--”

“Adora,” a clawed finger brought Adora back to meet mismatched eyes. “ _ You  _ never quit on me when everyone settled. I woke up because of  _ you.  _ Not She-Ra. Not Petal’s smellys herbs, not Mystacor magic; none of that. It was you, it was-- _ is _ Adora, and it will  _ always  _ be  _ Adora.”  _

She surged up to catch those lips and spoke between them, “Catra… love you… so much...will never...never…give up on you.” They parted as their chests heaved for oxygen.

Catra’s eyes darkened and smirked, “I’ll never leave you, baby. You can’t get rid of me that easily.” She bit at her paramour's neck, “ _ You’re mine _ .”

She gasped into the mark, “Always, always yours.” Passion ignited a new life into her gut and desire to chase after what she wants, to chase after what _ Adora  _ wants. Adora relished in the contact she’d been craving for nearly 2 weeks since Catra left for Salineas. 

After sometime, Adora asked, “Looks like you are getting some strength back. Ready for a bath?”

“What, you tryna tell me I stink?” Catra jabbed as she rubbed Adora’s face in her armpit.

“Gah! Catra!” She laughed and leapt out of the bed and started to run for the bathroom but stopped when she didn’t hear Catra’s clawed feet scraped against the hard floors. She turned to see Catra collapsed on the bed and groaning into the sheets.

“My bodyyyyyy isn’t cooperatiiiiiiiiing, Adoraaaaa!”

Adora chuckled as she strutted back over to her wife. “So lazy,” she teased as she helped Catra sit on the edge of the bed. “Here, let me help you…”

Catra tried sheathing and unsheathing her claws slowly, “Geez, even my claws are stiff. Never let me go into a coma again.” The women giggled and shared another kiss.

Lifting her beneath her arms, Adora helped Catra stand and slowly begin to walk as she got her body used to gravity and motion. After some stumbling and cussing, the duo made it to the bathroom where Adora set Catra on the toilet seat while she prepped the tub. Being able to help Catra like this wouldn’t have been possible years ago. But now, she has learned to ask and accept it and Adora is so, so proud of how normal it seems to be for Catra to do at this moment. 

The girls stripped their clothing and got into the tub. Adora helped Catra get in before settling in behind her to hold the magicat against her chest. Adora reached for the soap and massaged her lover’s stiff muscles as she lathered her fur in soap.

“I would’ve done this when you were sleeping, but… it felt wrong.”

Catra turned to eye her over her shoulder and chuckled, “Such chivalry…” Adora rolled her eyes fondly as she scrubbed. “I love you,” Catra told her and connected their lips again.

“I love you, too.” Adora kept washing and her heart warmed with every happy purr Catra released as the tension left her body. The purrs turned into skiff engines when Adora got to her long mane and scratched into her scalp.

“Kitty like?” the blonde teased and left kisses at the base of her ears. 

“Shut it, you.” Catra weakly fought back.

Adora had finished washing Catra and began to wash her own hair when her hands were stopped. Blue and gold eyes captured hers.

“Uh, no. Swap me,” she ordered with a twirl of her finger. 

“So bossy…” Adora said with a smirk as she repositioned herself to rest against Catra. 

With their positions now swapped, Catra bathed her wife with gentle hands. Once her skin was clean, Catra got the shampoo and brought out her claws to scratch through her scalp.

“Feels so good. Don’t stop,” Adora mumbled through happy moans but Catra could still see the tension in her back.

Catra kissed her bare shoulder. “You’ve done so much for me. You took such good care of me, baby. Let me take care of you for a bit.” She kissed her from her shoulder blade to the nape of her neck and finally felt Adora completely slump into her. “That’s my girl.”

Adora whimpered at the words and felt a small tear slip down her cheek that Catra quickly lapped away.

“I got you, I’m right here,” Catra reminded her.

Adora tilted her head to rub her cheek into Catra’s with a hum who returned the endearing gesture with a purr; an unspoken promise to always be there for each other.

After exiting the bath and getting into fresh clothes, the two waltzed around the room to get Catra used to it some more. After about 10 minutes, she grew tired and had to lean on Adora. It wasn’t much, but it was progress. Excessive sounds and bright lights were still a bit much for Catra, so they stayed in their room for lunch. Throughout the day, friends would come and see them and give them whatever they needed. 

They continued to do stretches and minor work outs and Catra was beginning to feel stronger with each passing hour.

  
  
  
  


Nightfall came and the two huddled into bed as Glimmer brought them their trays of food for dinner. It was obvious the couple wanted more time alone if Adora’s stronghold around Catra’s torso was any indication, so the queen let them be.

Both ate and felt a sense of normalcy return as Catra’s energy adn quick wit came back in full force. They bantered and wrestled for food like children and laughed until their abs ached. They licked their plates clean and brushed their teeth before they snuggled into bed.

Adora pulled Catra’s head close to her chest as the feline kneaded her stomach and purred. “Mine,” Adora said as she peppered her head in kisses.

“Yours.”

**Author's Note:**

> this started as a random headcanon as i was shopping. the idea pestered me until i wrote it, and here we are! this was a lot of fun to write and i hope you liked it
> 
> thank you, Ecrooked24 for beta-ing! they're wonderful and you should check out their works!


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